SYNOPSIS
In medieval Scotland, Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, and his fellow soldier, Banquo, are returning from a successful battle. On a barren heath, three witches appear and greet Macbeth as "Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor" and "King hereafter." They also prophesy that the future heirs of the throne will be descended not from Macbeth, but from Banquo. The witches disappear, and a messenger from the King arrives announcing that Macbeth has been named Thane of Cawdor, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. King Duncan declares that he is nominating his son, Malcolm, as heir, and announces that he will spend the night at the Macbeths' castle.
Alone, Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter describing the witches' revelations. She fears that Macbeth lacks the courage to commit murder and seize the crown. Returning home, Macbeth expresses reservations about murdering the King, but Lady Macbeth convinces him that the deed must be done. That night, Macbeth stabs the sleeping Duncan, and two guards are framed for the crime.
The next morning, Macduff, a nobleman, discovers the body of the King. The King's son, Malcolm, flees to England, and the lords of the kingdom vow to avenge the King's murder. Macbeth is appointed King, but with the witches' prophecy in mind, he arranges for the murders of Banquo and his son, Fleance. Although Banquo is killed, the hired assassin does not succeed in killing Fleance.
At a royal banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost sitting in his chair, disrupting the ceremonies despite Lady Macbeth's efforts to control the situation. He returns to the witches, who share new visions with him: to beware Macduff, that he can never be killed by "one of woman born" and to never fear until he sees Birnham Wood begin to move. These twisted predictions lead Macbeth to think that he is safe from harm, although the witches still show that Banquo's descendants will ascend the throne.
When Macbeth learns that Macduff has fled the country to join with Malcolm, he orders Macduff's wife and children to be put to death. Haunted by the sins she has committed, Lady Macbeth begins sleepwalking. Malcolm and Macduff advance an army to challenge Macbeth, cutting down the branches of Birnham Wood to disguise their number. Macbeth is strengthening his own army, when news reaches him that Lady Macbeth has died. Macbeth goes into battle. Face to face, Macduff reveals that he was "from his mother's womb, untimely ripped," and defeats Macbeth. Malcolm becomes King of Scotland.
HISTORY
Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare between 1603 and 1607. One of the greatest tragedies ever written, the play was based on the true story of Mac Bethad mac Findlaich, King of the Scots in the 11th century.
It is known that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth partially as a celebration of King James, who had just ascended the throne in 1603. King James had a great fascination with witches, and the witches of Macbeth were likely inspired by his interest.
Shakespeare's most popular play, Macbeth is performed more often than any of his other works. Its first public performance was in 1611 at the Globe Theatre in London. The first actor to play the role was the esteemed Richard Burbage.
Legend has it that prior to the premiere of Macbeth, the boy playing Lady Macbeth suddenly died, and Shakespeare himself stepped into the role. This is one of several myths that are credited with the origin of the superstitions surrounding the play. In 1849, a fight broke out between two famous Shakespearean actors, Edwin Forrest and William Charles Macready, who were both to star in respective productions of Macbeth in Manhattan. This fight escalated into the historic Astor Place Riots, which left 25 people dead and 120 injured. There are hundreds of reported incidents of "the curse of Macbeth" including several where a real dagger has been mistaken for a prop dagger, resulting in the death of an actor.
The curse of Macbeth is well-known throughout the world. For centuries, thespians have avoided saying the title of the play out loud in a theatre, preferring to use "The Scottish Play."
It has become tradition, when the name "Macbeth" is spoken in a theatre, for the guilty party to spin around three times, spit over their left shoulder, and yell an obscenity. There are several ritualistic ways to guard against the curse of Macbeth, but none have been definitively proven to ward off the curse.
